20 August 2007

Documenta 12 & Munster Sculpture Project 2007

With a few friends from the Berlage made a quick visit to two German cities - Kassel and Münster - to see what is considered two of the most important art exhibitions in the world.The Documenta 12 in Kassel and the 7th Munster Sculpture Project in close by Münster.

First was Documenta (This exhibition is seen as the world‘s most important exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany)

All the main halls of this city wide exhibition are well within walking distance of each other (all around a square pictured below);

the day we chose most of these halls were quite full of enthusiastic art lovers from all over the world, but sadly I felt the art was nothing great. A few works here and there caught ones eyes, most of the stuff seemed quite old - ofcourse some of it was intentional, though I doubt this was the case with all of it.

Among the artist was Atul Dodiya from India, with his works titled 'Antler’s Anthology', done in watercolor, charcoal and marble dust on paper. He reproduced the texts of well-known contemporary Gujarati poems in the body of his 12 paintings. I have to say that I didn't quiet get it and therefore didn't like it much.

However, from Kassel we made a quick stop at close by Münster where the city was full of people walking and biking in huge groups almost running from one spot to another, trying to find every piece of Sculpture of all shapes and sizes placed all over the tiny city.Every ten years coniciding with every second Documenta at Kassel the city of Münster undertakes the Skulptur Projekte Münster, which is an exhibition of sculptures in public places in the town, the exhibition shows artworks for free in different places all over the town, thereby confronting art with public places.

Myself in Münster at the Prinzipalmarkt with St Lambert's church.

This event was a lot more satisfying than the one at Kassel, and with relatively a lot more interesting works of art. (Above a picture from the Botanical garden of the city - where there were some works exhibited)And this one, which seems almost an archaeological site was my favorite of the two grand exhibitions.